The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Curtis G. Clark. Born in 1918, he joined the Navy in 1937. He served on the USS Talbot throughout the war, beginning as a Radioman third class and working his way up to the rank of Warrant Officer. He provides information about the Battle of Dutch Harbor in Alaska. He discusses the conversion of four-stack destroyer ships (DD), such as the USS Talbot, into high-speed transport ships (Auxiliary Personnel Destroyer or APD) on Mare Island, California. As part of the conversion, the torpedo tubes were replaced with Welin davits and landing craft. He discusses the sinking of the USS McKean (PAD-5) near Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. He talks about landing reconnaissance forces in preparation for the Battle of the Green Islands. He also discusses transporting Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) as well as the teams? method of operation. He describes the collision with the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) on the way to Saipan as well as the trip to San Francisco for repairs. After the repairs, the ship transported other UDT units to the Philippines. He was on the USS Talbot when it returned to the United States for …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank Jagielski. Jagielski was born in Redding, Pennsylvania 5 April 1926. In May 1943, he joined the Navy and attended boot camp at Sampson, New York. Following graduation, he was sent to gunnery school at Price Neck, Rhode Island. He was eventually assigned as a member of the deck force on the USS Cebu (ARG-6). He was present at Manus Island when the Mount Hood (AE-11) exploded. The blast killed six sailors on the Cebu. He received his discharge soon after the surrender of Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Curtis G. Clark. Born in 1918, he joined the Navy in 1937. He served on the USS Talbot throughout the war, beginning as a Radioman third class and working his way up to the rank of Warrant Officer. He provides information about the Battle of Dutch Harbor in Alaska. He discusses the conversion of four-stack destroyer ships (DD), such as the USS Talbot, into high-speed transport ships (Auxiliary Personnel Destroyer or APD) on Mare Island, California. As part of the conversion, the torpedo tubes were replaced with Welin davits and landing craft. He discusses the sinking of the USS McKean (PAD-5) near Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. He talks about landing reconnaissance forces in preparation for the Battle of the Green Islands. He also discusses transporting Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) as well as the teams? method of operation. He describes the collision with the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) on the way to Saipan as well as the trip to San Francisco for repairs. After the repairs, the ship transported other UDT units to the Philippines. He was on the USS Talbot when it returned to the United States for …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Strehle. Strehle joined the Navy in November 1942. He was sent to school to become a torpedoman and then joined the commissioning crew of USS David W. Taylor (DD-551). Strehle describes depth charging and sinking a Japanese submarine. He describes how depth charges functioned and how they were deployed. Strehle discusses the ship hitting a mine and the damage control performed. He volunteered to go into the damaged area to remove ammunition and recover the bodies of four shipmates. Strehle took part in the occupation of Japan and was discharged in January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Vincent J. Colan. Born in 1914, he joined the Naval Militia in New York in 1932 on his eighteenth birthday. In January 1941, he was transferred to a destroyer, the USS J. Fred Talbott (DD-156), which was part of the Banana Fleet that protected the Panama Canal. He shares an anecdote about learning of the attack on Pearl Harbor while on liberty in Panama. For eleven months, the destroyer escorted ships from Guantanamo to Panama without the benefit of radar or sonar. He shares the story of how he became an ensign. In 1944, he was transferred to the USS David W. Taylor (DD-551). He shares an anecdote about his cancelled liberty in New Orleans, Louisiana on New Year?s Eve, 1944. After the destroyer escorted a convoy to Panama, it was sent to Pearl Harbor to become part of the anti-submarine screen for oil tankers and, later, for the Pacific Fleet. He recounts his actions as Damage Control Officer when the ship struck a mine. He comments on the importance of the extensive emergency drilling. He describes the role he and his Damage Control party played in aiding …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Rhollie Nix. Nix joined the Navy in 1943. He completed schooling for welding, metallurgy and diving. He served as Second-Class Petty Officer and deep-sea diver aboard USS Cebu (ARG-6). He assisted with underwater welding repairs of LST propellers. They traveled to the Admiralty Islands, the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan. He was discharged around 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Howard Williams. Williams joined the Navy at 15 years old after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He joined the crew of the USS Cushing (DD-376). Williams describes picking up downed airmen after the Hornet was sunk at the Battle of Santa Cruz. He also discusses being blown over the side of his ship when it was critically hit during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Williams mentions seeing the Japanese shell Henderson Field and catching malaria while he was on Guadalcanal. He describes what happened when the Navy learned that he was under age and how he was assigned to shore duty. Williams was discharged when he had enough points in May 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Stephen Boykin. Boykin joined the Marine Corps in August of 1940. In 1942, he was in the second wave entering the Guadalcanal Campaign, where he was severely wounded by a grenade. In early 1943, after being hospitalized, he was sent back to the US for one year of physical therapy. Boykin received a medical discharge in early 1944.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Whitney Jacobs. Born in 1922, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in January 1942. He was assigned to the First Division and sent to Wellington, New Zealand where they prepared to go to Guadalcanal. He mentions the dock workers strike. He describes his experiences as a machine gunner on Guadalcanal. He recounts his actions during the Battle of the Tenaru River for which he was awarded the Navy Cross. He shares an anecdote about the award ceremony in Australia. He also fought in the Battle of Cape Gloucester on the island of New Britain. He served in the Pacific for approximately two years and then transferred to assignments in the United States. He was discharged in October 1945. He used the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill) to attend Harvard University.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul Livingston. Livingston joined the Navy in April of 1943. He served aboard the USS Rathburne (DD-113), a training ship for the West Coast Sound School in San Diego. Livingston helped train prospective Commanding and Executive Officers in anti-submarine warfare using sonar as a guide. In May of 1944 they were converted to a to a high-speed transport, and reclassified as (APD-25). They traveled to Hawaii to complete amphibious training with Underwater Demolition Team 10. They participated in the invasions of Peleliu, Leyte, Lingayen Gulf and Okinawa. They returned to the US and Livingston was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Ruttan. Ruttan joined the Marine Corps in November 1942. He was assigned to the First Marine Division. Ruttan briefly discusses his combat experiences during the battles of Cape Glouster, Peleliu, and Okinawa. He then traveled to China after the surrender. Ruttan describes his journey home by ship. He left the service soon after his return to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Meehan. Meehan was born in Lambertville, New Jersey. He attended midshipman’s school at Northwestern in Chicago completing the course in December 1940. He was commissioned by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Meehan received orders to report to the USS Goldsborough (AVD-5), a seaplane tender, as the communications officer. He recounts various missions to Mexico and Iceland and describes a trip to Greenland during which the ship encountered a storm that resulted in the loss of a crewmember. He was sent to Panama in early 1942 as part of a force to protect the Canal Zone. In June 1942 the ship went to Honduras to patrol for German submarines. He witnessed two PBY patrol aircraft capturing two large boats that provided support to German submarines. In July 1943, Meehan was made captain of the Goldsborough. He recalls being part of a hunter-killer group and describes an encounter with a German submarine. In March 1944 the ship was converted to a high speed transport and designated APD-32. Moving to the Pacific, the Goldsborough participated in the invasion of Saipan. The ship also delivered an Under Water Demolition Team (UDT) to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Cecil Young. Young was born in Bowie, Texas on 2 October 1919. After graduating from high school in 1937, he attended Abilene Christian College on a football scholarship. After graduating from college in June 1941, he began a coaching career. He entered the Navy in June 1942 as a Chief Petty Officer and went to Norfolk, Virginia for two weeks of boot training. He then went to Little Creek, Virginia for three months of amphibious training. Upon completion of the training he boarded a ship bound for Algiers. He spent one year as a member of the staff preparing for the invasion of Italy. At this time Young received notification of promotion to ensign and reported to New York to attend a school. At the end of three weeks he was sent to the University of Arizona for training in communications. Upon completion of the course, he was sent to Coronado, California where he trained in the operation of LCVP landing craft. In August 1944 he boarded the USS Carteret (APA-70) carrying eight LCVPs and combat troops for the invasion of Iwo Jima. He describes combat and observed …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles W. Kunkler. Kunkler was born in Los Angeles on 5 August 1925. He joined the Navy and was sent to Farragut, Idaho for six weeks of boot training. He was then sent to Pearl Harbor. Upon his arrival he was one of five seaman selected by Commander Hal Lamar to serve on the Admiral Nimitz’s barge. After serving for a period of time in Pearl Harbor the crew was assigned to a newly constructed barge that was sent to Admiral Nimitz’s new headquarters on Guam. Kunkler tells of the purpose of the barge and describes his assigned duties. He also comments on the personalities of Commander Lamar and of Admiral Nimitz. Following his leave after returning to the United States in 1945, he was placed in a hospital in Rhode Island for treatment of an injury he received en route to Guam. Soon after being discharged from the hospital, he was discharged from the Navy.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Dwight Mayo. Mayo joined the Marine Corps in October of 1942. Beginning in late 1944, he served as an F4U Corsair fighter pilot, stationed aboard USS Bennington (CV-20) in the Pacific. He took part in strikes against the Japanese home islands, and in raids in support of the Okinawa campaign. Mayo completed 100 missions. He continued his service after the war ended, retiring in 1962 with the rank of major.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank Jagielski. Jagielski was born in Redding, Pennsylvania 5 April 1926. In May 1943, he joined the Navy and attended boot camp at Sampson, New York. Following graduation, he was sent to gunnery school at Price Neck, Rhode Island. He was eventually assigned as a member of the deck force on the USS Cebu (ARG-6). He was present at Manus Island when the Mount Hood (AE-11) exploded. The blast killed six sailors on the Cebu. He received his discharge soon after the surrender of Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Ward. Ward joined the Navy in June of 1940. He served aboard USS President Adams (APA-19) as a Higgins Boat Coxswain. They deployed to Guadalcanal, landing Marine forces ashore. He later served in a boat pool ashore in the vicinity of Henderson Field. In September of 1942, Ward served in the Gunnery Department aboard USS Saratoga (CV-3), working as a hot shell man. Ward was aboard the Saratoga during the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the New Georgia Campaign, the invasion of Bougainville, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands Campaign and the Battle of Iwo Jima. In May of 1945, Ward was transferred to a repair base in San Diego for shore duty. He was discharged in October of 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walden Franzen. Franzen joined the Navy in 1937. He became a plane captain with VB-3 and served on the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and the USS Ranger (CV-4). Franzen mentions life on board ship and the difference between the two carriers. He went on to serve as a crew chief on a PBY in the Caribbean and later as a maintenance supervisor for a utility squadron that served along the East Coast. Franzen remained in the Navy after the war, and retired in 1957.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Arnold Rothhaar. Rothhaar joined the Navy in 1942. He served as Coxswain of a whaleboat aboard USS Cotten (DD-669). He transported crewmembers to and from shore. He recalls several encounters with the Japanese through the Pacific Theater. He remained with the Cotton until it returned to the US in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Rhollie Nix. Nix joined the Navy in 1943. He completed schooling for welding, metallurgy and diving. He served as Second-Class Petty Officer and deep-sea diver aboard USS Cebu (ARG-6). He assisted with underwater welding repairs of LST propellers. They traveled to the Admiralty Islands, the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan. He was discharged around 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Vincent J. Colan. Born in 1914, he joined the Naval Militia in New York in 1932 on his eighteenth birthday. In January 1941, he was transferred to a destroyer, the USS J. Fred Talbott (DD-156), which was part of the Banana Fleet that protected the Panama Canal. He shares an anecdote about learning of the attack on Pearl Harbor while on liberty in Panama. For eleven months, the destroyer escorted ships from Guantanamo to Panama without the benefit of radar or sonar. He shares the story of how he became an ensign. In 1944, he was transferred to the USS David W. Taylor (DD-551). He shares an anecdote about his cancelled liberty in New Orleans, Louisiana on New Year?s Eve, 1944. After the destroyer escorted a convoy to Panama, it was sent to Pearl Harbor to become part of the anti-submarine screen for oil tankers and, later, for the Pacific Fleet. He recounts his actions as Damage Control Officer when the ship struck a mine. He comments on the importance of the extensive emergency drilling. He describes the role he and his Damage Control party played in aiding …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Whitney Jacobs. Born in 1922, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in January 1942. He was assigned to the First Division and sent to Wellington, New Zealand where they prepared to go to Guadalcanal. He mentions the dock workers strike. He describes his experiences as a machine gunner on Guadalcanal. He recounts his actions during the Battle of the Tenaru River for which he was awarded the Navy Cross. He shares an anecdote about the award ceremony in Australia. He also fought in the Battle of Cape Gloucester on the island of New Britain. He served in the Pacific for approximately two years and then transferred to assignments in the United States. He was discharged in October 1945. He used the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill) to attend Harvard University.

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an oral history with Franklin Pomroy. Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Pomroy, aged 17, joined the US Marine Corps. After completing boot camp he was sent to Camp Lejeune and assigned to H Company 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. He presents a riveting narrative of combat conditions, death, destruction, jungle diseases and man’s inhumanity to man that he witnessed on the islands of Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu. His wartime experiences were concluded by returning to the United States aboard the USS Comfort (AH-6) followed by extended stays in naval hospitals for wounds received in battle.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Tom Schicher. Schicher joined the Marine Corps in March of 1944. He served as a rifleman and mortarman, and deployed to Hawaii as a replacement. They traveled to the Russell Islands and Guadalcanal practicing maneuvers. He participated in the Battle of Okinawa. After the war ended, he was assigned to occupation duty in China. Schicher returned to the US and was discharged around 1946.